Remarkable Woman

Jennifer Rosato, dean of NIU College of Law

Dean of Northern Illinois University College of Law talks about diversity, challenges — and why she owns all those sneakers

February 02, 2014|By Leslie Mann, Special to Tribune Newspapers

Jennifer Rosato, dean of Northern Illinois University College of Law (Bill Hogan, Chicago Tribune)

Even a few hours spent with Jennifer "Jenn" Rosato, dean of Northern Illinois University College of Law in DeKalb, bear evidence of her intensity and commitment.

A native of Bethlehem, Pa., Rosato, 52, started her career as a caseworker for abused children, but decided she could help them more by being a lawyer, she said. She earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and proceeded to climb the academic ladder in New York and Pennsylvania.

"She's got a combination of pedigree, passion and personality," said Wheaton attorney and NIU law school alumnus Vincent Cornelius, who was on the search committee that hired Rosato in 2009. "And, energy. Wow, she wears you out. When I host an annual reception for professionals to meet students, Jenn doesn't just bring a student; she brings a bus full of them. They respect her because she goes all out for them."

Her office reflects the many facets of her life. Bookcases house medals for running (she tries to run at least six 5K's a year) and professional prizes, including the 2013 Vanguard Award from the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and the Illinois secretary of state's 2013 Distinguished Leadership Award.

Also visible is a stack of movies with legal themes, including "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "Michael Clayton."

"Hollywood makes law more glamorous and the issues more dramatic," Rosato said, "but we can learn from it too."

Rosato is engaged to be married this year to Juan Perea, a Chicago law professor. She has a daughter, Jessica, 16, from a previous marriage. Following is an edited transcript.

Q: How does NIU's status as a public law school affect its student demographics?

A: Our students are diverse. They're not necessarily going back to a multi-generation family law firm. Many of our students return to their working-class communities to help serve their legal needs in many fields of law, devote themselves to pro bono service and become leaders in their professional endeavors.

Many of our students are working their way through school. NIU's costs are lower than at many law schools, so the students leave with less debt. Our average student leaves with a $72,479 debt, compared to $84,600 for the average public law school graduate and $122,158 for the private law school graduate. (Note: These are 2012 figures.)

We're a young law school – founded in 1974 as Lewis University College of Law and moved to DeKalb in 1982 — but we have a high percentage of people who have made it to the top. Out of about 3,800 graduates, 89 of them are judges.

We're small but mighty. That becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy; we attract students who try harder.

Q: Do you feel obligated to be a role model because there are so few female Hispanic leaders in the profession?

A: Of course, I bring my upbringing — my mom is Nicaraguan and my dad is Italian-Hungarian — to the table, and I care about diversity. But I consider it a responsibility of mine to mentor young people who are coming up through the pipeline.

As a woman and as a minority, you're scrutinized. When you do good things, people notice. When you do bad things, people notice. Female lawyers are still treated differently by their colleagues. In large law firms, some older male lawyers treat them like their daughters, which is well-meaning but patronizing. So the young women need older women as their champions. Overall, the field is slowly becoming more diverse so these things will change.

Q: Why is the change slow to happen?

A: The legal profession is still mostly men at the top — in academia, judiciary and at law firms. More women have entered the profession, but the percentage of women in law school has plateaued and the percentage of women in leadership in the legal profession has not increased much in the last few years. I think it's important to study and address that at a national level.

The profession is still structured by long hours and a lot of evening meetings, so it's hard for women to balance work, children and aging parents. And it's still a profession where it's hard to work part-time. It requires a tremendous commitment of time and energy — 24/7, essentially, to the exclusion of other relationships and interests. These are isolating environments with limited support for women at the top.

I think the Millennial women will make the profession change, though. Baby Boomer women took off their wedding rings at job interviews or did not dare ask about maternity leave. But the Millennials want a work/family balance and they say so.

Q: Do women — and men — have to make sacrifices in this profession?

A: You do. I was fortunate that my ex-husband was able to be a single parent for our daughter while she was young. And, my mom was our safety net. But not everyone has these advantages. Most women, especially, have to be creative and cobble together work and family time.